Under The Son Farm Shetlands was established in 2002 on a 28 acre farm in west central Indiana. We are committed to breeding fine quality Traditional 1927 (CM) Shetland sheep, raising Shetland cross lambs for direct meat marketing, and producing delightful handspinning fleeces and wonderful Shetland and Shetland blend yarns.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Here are most of the 2014 ram lambs that are available (I'm still evaluating a few more). Soft, fine fleeces on all of them. Crimp structure varies between very fine and tiny crimp to a more crimpy/wavy structure. All of the dams are FFSSA grade (1-3) and sires are either grade 1 premium, or very low grade 2 premium (for an adult). All these boys are structurally correct, good breeding rams. A couple are half polled/scurred. All are twins except Cinnerelle's and he is a triplet. I'll post the ewe lambs in the next blog post.

Shipping out east will be available in Oct for those interested.

UTS Stronsay x UTS Viva - spotted fawn kat

Another shot of Viva's boy. Viva is standing behind him.

UTS Stronsay X S'More Rhapsody - moorit spotted

UTS Stronsay x UTS Iona - black (B/b)

UTS Castello x UTS Cinnerelle - triplet, emsket, polled/scurred.

UTS Venaco x UTS Mercure - black krunet

UTS Venaco x UTS Spice - polled/scurred spotted grey kat

(This is a photo from April. I'll try to get another one of him but he looks the same only bigger. Nice ram for a polled breeder - his scurs are no bigger than Cinnerelle's boy.)

UTS Stronsay x UTS Ceann - black HST half polled/scurred (B/b)

UTS Castello x UTS Madeline - emsket. He is more of a half poll so will have to watch horns.

Under The Son Website

Welcome to Under The Son blog!

There are about 100 Shetland sheep on our farm during the winter months and over 200 with the lambs in the spring time. All colors along with katmoget and gulmoget as well as a few spotted sheep are here on the farm. I specialize in breeding classic fine fleeced Shetlands that are the hallmark of the Shetland wool industry and have been for hundreds of years.

Blogs posted will be relevant to our Shetland sheep farm goals such as working towards a classic type fleece - a fine to very fine, dense, silky, lustrous, 3-6" Shetland fleece, raising conformational correct pure Shetlands and growthy Shetland cross market lambs, as well as all manner of Shetland fleece production through to the finished products.

I am a spinner, weaver, knitter, felter, crocheter, dyer, soaper and have done all manner of other crafty things such as basketry, beaded jewelry, sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, etc.

About Shetland Sheep

Shetland sheep are a heritage breed dating back a thousand years or more and are related to Soay sheep. They have primitive characteristics such as a naturally short fluke shaped tail, wool that 'roos' or sheds in the springtime, small size, and fine bone. They are famous first and foremost for their fine, soft, naturally colored wool that is very lightweight and warm. This wool was one of the two pillars of the Shetland Island economy for centuries.

Shetlands, the 'kindly' (soft) wooled native breed of sheep, were preserved because the Shetland wool industry was facing extinction with the the infiltration of coarse long wooled big sheep on the island. Steps were taken, such as the writing of the breed standard and paid ram incentives, to ensure the existence of this rare native breed and the continued existence of the woolen industry that employed so many of the women of Shetland.

Garments made from breed standard 'kindly' Shetland wool can be next-to-the-skin soft scarves to warm, soft outerwear sweaters. It is a fine wool with crimp (called 'wave' by the writers of the standard) and is normally used for knitted garments with good memory such as stockings/socks, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, shawls, under clothing, and the famous Shetland sweaters. It is a 'longish' wool, around 3-6", depending on crimp. It is sometimes good for felting and some fleeces are very silky. As it is a heritage breed, there is quite a bit of diverseness found within the breed, especially in the colors and patterns that run the gamut of browns, blacks, greys, and white as well as spots and patterns. All in all, it is one of the premier handspinning fleeces to be found.

From the Shetland Sheep Society

"Shetland sheep have for generations been noted for their very soft and well crimped fleece. The wool is the finest of all native breeds and shows an amazing variety of colours and patterns. There are 11 main whole colours and 30 recognised markings.

By selecting from coloured fleeces a range of naturally coloured yarn can be produced. This eliminates the need for dyeing and therefore retains the soft feel of the natural fibre and is favoured by those who prefer a totally natural approach.

Shetland wool fibres are of a simple construction witha central cortex covered by a thin scaly cuticle, and have an average diameter of about 23 microns. However there is a range from 10-20 microns for neck and shoulder wool to 25to 35 microns for britch wool. the average staple length is 3.5 inches. The amount of crimp varies, and is most important in providing the 'bounce' required for knitwear. There is a positive correlation between fineness and crimp, with wool of the finest quality being crimped at between 8 and 12 to the inch. Wool from shetland sheep is used to produce gossamer lace, the famous 'Fair Isle' knitwear, and fine tweeds. Pure bred Shetland sheep tend to shed their fleece in sprin. The growth of new fleece can cause a rise or weak point and where this is present the fleece can sometimes be plucked or 'rooed' by hand. The timing of this can be different in each sheep, however, it is worth taking the care to get it right as rooed fleece can be amongst the softest because the fibres have no harsh cut ends as occurs with a sheared fleece.

Shetland fleece can be handspun straight from the fleece or made into rolags and then woollen spun. It can also be sorsted spun by hand, used on a peg loom or handwoven. It also felts well using either dry or wet methods. When processed commercially the wool can be made into the finest lightweight worsted cloth or heavier weight, harder wearing fabrics and tweeds."